Gerald w



(No Model.)

G. W. HART. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

N0. 594,4'70' Patented Nov, 30,1897.

UNITED STATES ATENT Cri ics;

GERALD W. HART, OE HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNO R TO THE HART dz HEGEMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 594,470, dated November 30, 1897.

Application filed April 20, 1896. Serial No. 588,265. (No model.)

To all whom it nwty concern:

Be it known that I, GERALD WV. HART, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Vest Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, whereby any one skilledin the art can make and use the same.

My invention relates more particularly to the class of snap-switches which consist of a base-piece with a metal cover and a handle projecting beyond the cover; and the object of my invention is to provide an index which will show at a glance whether the switch is (CD77 (Off-77 To this end my invention consists in the details of the several parts making up the device as a whole and in the combination of such parts, as hereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a View in side elevation of one form of electric switch, which may be of any ordinary con struction, but in the form shown includes a base-piece b or frame to support the operative parts of the switch, this base-piece being in this case of porcelain or like insulating material.

A handle 0, which projects beyond the cover, is secured to the switch-spindle by means of a threaded stem taking into a threaded socket, and the exact angular position of the handle with reference to a line drawn through the axis of the switch-plate and the centers of the contacts is uncertain and depends upon the point at which the thread happens to stop when the shoulder is reached.

It is always desirable to be able to tell at a glance whether the current in any line in which a switch is located is open or closed or whether the switch is on or off, and the particular object of myinvention is to provide adjustable means for determining this fact.

The shank c of the handle 0, fast to the switch-spindle, extends through an opening a in the cover and turns independently of the cover. In the form of the device herein shown the cover a is provided with a socket a in its lower edge, adapted to engage a lug b on the base 6, so as to hold the cover against rotary movement. 7

An adjustable index 01 is attached to the cover adjacent to the opening a and consists, preferably, of-a piece of thin metal shaped in plan to correspond to the outline of the handle or of a size and shape to permit this index to be covered by the handle in one of its positions of rotation. This index, as shown, is annular in form and has downturned lugs 61, which are bent downward and backward against the edge of the opening a, in such manner as to hold the index from any except slight vertical movement and permit a free rotary movement so far as these attaching means 61 are concerned.

To hold the index against free rotary movement, locking-sockets e are provided in the substance of the cover in any convenient number, and locking-lugs f on the index overlie the sockets in the cover and are arranged to engage these'sockets, so as tohold the index firmly in any desired position. A suffrcient number of these locking-sockets are provided to afford a greatdegree of variation in the actual position in which the index may be locked. It is obvious that other means of locking the index than those described may is turned ninety (90) degrees to throw the switch off, the movement of the handles uncovers the index, which is then clearly shown, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings. This enables the position of the switch with reference to the line to be quickly determined at a glance and as far as the switch may be clearly seen. The index is of course made of a color or tint sharply differing from that of the cover or face plate, although it may be of the same color of the handle, if desired, without interfering with the operation of the device.

The yielding or frictional locking means which holds the index in position enables it to be set and hold the desired place without danger of accidental change in its position.

It is obvious that different forms of indexes than those shown may be employed without departing from the main feature of the invention, which consists in supporting on the cover-plate, in proximity to the handle, an indicating device that can be moved with reference to the handle and secured in any desired position of adjustment.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination with a rotary switchplate, a handle, a cover-plate through which the shank of the handle extends, an index mounted in the opening in the cover-plate and underlying the handle, and means for locking the index in the desired position of adjustment with reference to the handle of the switch-plate, all substantially as described.

2. In combination with a rotary switchplate, a handle, a base, a cover-plate secured against rotation on the base and through which the shank of the handle extends, an index mounted in the opening in the coverplate and underlying the handle, and means for locking the index in the desired position of adjustment with reference to the handle of the switch-plate, all substantially as described.

3. In combination with a rotary switchplate having a switch-spindle, a handle secured to the switch-spindle, a cover-plate adapted to inclose the switch-plate, and an index adj ustably mounted with reference to the handle and on the cover-plate.

4c. In combination with a rotary switchplate having a switch-spindle, a handle secured to the spindle 'by means of interengagin g screw-threaded parts,a cover-plate adapted to inclose the switch-plate, and an index adj ustably mounted with reference to the handle and on the cover-plate.

5. In combination with a rotary switchplate having a spindle secured thereto, a handle secured to the spindle, a cover-plate inclosing the switclrplate, an index adjustably mounted with reference to the handle and on the cover-plate, and means for locking the index in the desired position of adj ustm en t.

GERALD \V. HART. IVitnesses:

CHAS. L. BURDETT, ARTHUR B. Jnxxnxs. 

